The Waltons Between Movies
by LissyCaroline
Summary: The first reunion movie leaves a lot unexplained. So here is what happened between "A Day For Thanks On Waltons Mountain" and "A Walton Thanksgiving", which is a large span of time.
1. Chapter 1- Ben and Cindy

"Hello?" Cindy said into the telephone, silencing its ring. "Oh, hi Mary Ellen."

As the warm sun shone through the windows, Cindy reflected on how quiet the house was. Virginia and Charlie were both teenagers, and were out playing with some of their friends, their cousin John Curtis included. Cindy and Ben both had been distraught when the doctor told them they would never have any more children, but that piece of information had made them closer to the two that they had throughout the years.

"Sheriff Bridges wants us to meet him at the station immediately." Mary Ellen's words immediately snapped Cindy out of her thoughts. "Is something wrong?"

"He wouldn't say," Mary Ellen replied. "I can only hope our children are alright."

"I'll get Ben from the mill and meet you there," Cindy said and hung up the phone.

The look on Sheriff Bridges' face when Ben and Cindy entered the station told them that something was not right. Mary Ellen and Jonesy were seated in the room, both looking pale.

"Well," the sheriff began. "There's no use sugarcoating the situation. Your children have been in an accident."

"Are they all right?" Ben asked.

"Your son Charlie is fine. He hardly received a scratch." He turned to look at Mary Ellen and Jonesy. "And John Curtis has a few broken bones, but the medical staff is positive he'll make a full recovery." He sighed. "As for Virginia…"

"Yes, sheriff?" Cindy said, with the sickening sense that she was not going to like whatever the sheriff was going to say next.

"Virginia is in critical condition. You can go see her now, but I feel I should warn you that the doctors are saying that nothing can be done."

Cindy and Ben fell into each other's arms and began weeping. Mary Ellen and Jonesy had to coax them apart from each other and into the car that would drive them to the hospital, and most certainly, the sight of their daughter's death.


	2. Chapter 2- Ben and Cindy

Virginia wasn't even conscious when her parents arrived in her hospital room. They each grabbed one of her hands as tears fell down their cheeks. "Do you think she knows we're here?" Cindy asked sullenly.

Ben shook his head. "I have no idea."

"Mama? Daddy?" a voice came from the doorway. "How's Ginny?"

"Charlie!" Cindy exclaimed.

"The doctor cleared me and said I would find you guys here." He looked his father right in the eye. "She's going to die, isn't she?" His voice caught on the last syllable as his eyes began to water.

"We've been praying that that isn't the case," Ben replied sadly. "But it looks like she is going to." This statement brought fresh tears to the eyes of Virginia's parents and younger brother.

"Virginia," Cindy began. "I don't know if you can hear me or not, but please just know that we all love you dearly. Since the day you were born, you were my little helper. Always so eager to cook dinner or babysit your younger cousins… Everyone is going to miss you so much."

"You were the first grandchild born with the Walton name," Ben continued. "I know you will always have a special place in your grandparents' hearts, especially Grandma."

"All of my friends that have older sisters hate them, Ginny," Charlie said. "But you're different. You never tried to make me play girly games with you or anything like that. You're my best friend, and you always will be. I love you."

The three of them watched, crying, as the sporadic rise and fall of Virginia's chest came to a stop. The doctor walked in and examined her. "Mr. Walton, Mrs. Walton, Charlie," he said, addressing each of them. "I'm so sorry, but she's gone."

Hearing the words that they already knew had happened made them sob even harder. The doctor left to give them some time to grieve, and eventually, they left the hospital and went home.

All of Ginny's family members and friends came to her funeral. A lot of her cousins that she had babysat over the years told stories of those days, and most of her family members were crying. However, they pulled together as a family and tried their best to remember all of the happy times they shared with Virginia Walton.

Not a single Walton ever forgot Virginia, and even the ones born after she died were told about her. Cindy and Ben remained especially sad, and when Charlie left for college, they were even lonelier.

**I thought this would lead into the first reunion movie nicely. This was a very sad chapter to write, but I felt it was necessary to explain what really happened to Virginia. The next chapter will be about Erin and her divorce. I hope anyone reading this is enjoying it. The more followers and/or reviews I receive, the more likely I am to continue this story.**


	3. Chapter 3- Erin

"Mama?" Erin heard late one night.

"What is it Susan?" she said to her young daughter. "You should be in bed."

"Why isn't Daddy home yet?" she asked in a small voice.

The question hit Erin hard. She had been wondering the same thing for months. Paul not coming home until after midnight had become a regular occurrence. Whenever she tucked her two children, Susan and Peter, just six and four years old, into bed, she had to cheerfully tell them that "Daddy will be home soon." But inside she questioned herself.

Erin was forced to tell her daughter the same thing now. But Susan, who was very mature and wise beyond her years, gave her a questioning glance. "Mama? Why is Daddy never here?"

Erin sighed. "I honestly don't know, sweetie," she replied, pulling Susan in for a hug. "He'll be here in the morning. Come on, I'll tuck you back into bed."

As she returned from putting Susan to bed, Erin decided that she would be awake, no matter how late it was, when Paul got home.

"Where have you been?" she confronted him as soon as he walked through the door. He jumped in surprise. "Erin. You're awake."

"Yes I'm awake," she said angrily. "I need to know why you always come back so late. I'm _worried _about you. Even Susan came down a while ago and asked why you hadn't come home yet."

"Erin, I promise you, it's nothing to worry about. I've just been working late at the mill."

"LATE hours? Paul, it's one o'clock in the morning. I don't think you're working. My daddy and Ben don't work this late." She grabbed both of his hands in hers. "Please just _talk _to me. I'm your wife."

"Let go of me," he said, pulling away from her grip on his hands. "You're too nosy and too bossy. Maybe I don't want to tell you what's going on. Have you ever thought about that?"

He stormed angrily up the stairs and into their bedroom. Erin decided to give him a few minutes to cool down and then followed him up the stairs.

"Paul?" she said in a soft voice, so she wouldn't wake Susan and Peter. "What's really bothering you?"

He didn't answer her for a long time, and she assumed that he was asleep, or pretending to be. But as she pondered the situation while trying to fall asleep, his deep voice came with her answer.

"Maybe we should have never gotten married."

The words left Erin stunned. What did he mean? They were so much in love, with two wonderful children. And he wished they had never gotten married? "What do you mean?" she asked in a voice so small that it was practically a whisper.

But he never responded. And Erin cried herself to sleep that night for fear that her marriage, which used to be so perfect, was now crumbling.

**I would love to know what you think. Please review!**


	4. Chapter 4- Erin

The idea came to Erin about a week later. At the time her daddy, Ben, and Paul usually stopped working for the day, she left Susan and Peter with Cindy and drove to her parents' house. Paul was just leaving, and he didn't notice Erin driving behind him. She stayed a safe distance away, so she wouldn't be caught. Finally, she would be able to see where he goes and what he does when he doesn't come home at night.

She followed him all the way to a small café in Rockfish. He went in and sat at the counter. Erin sat at a table close to the door, where he wouldn't be able to see her. A young woman- younger than Erin- with blonde curly hair walked in and sat beside him. Erin watched as the girl whispered something in Paul's ear and he laughed and put his arm around her waist. Erin gasped. She knew something was going on, but she had never expected it to be something as unthinkable as this.

_Paul was involved with another woman. _Erin tried to fight the tears that were threatening to fall, but she feared that if anyone looked at her, they would question her well-being.

"Can I get you something?" a waitress asked, snapping her out of her thoughts. "You look upset."

"No," she said, a little louder than she'd anticipated. Luckily, Paul didn't seem to notice. "No, I'm fine. I was actually just leaving."

Her legs were shaky as she stood up and walked out the door, but she knew she couldn't stay there any longer. She didn't want to see anymore.

Erin finally allowed herself to cry as she drove home. _He's replaced me with some blonde that's practically a teenager. What have I done wrong? I'm a good wife; I always make his favorite foods and never complain when he works long hours. And what about our children? Has he thought about them at all, or was he only thinking of himself? He's wrecking our family!_

By the time she reached Ben and Cindy's house, she was a wreck. Her eyes were red and swollen from crying, and she was trembling beyond control. She could barely tell Cindy what happened, but when she finally did, Cindy insisted that she stay for a while.

"You need some time to think about how you're going to handle this before you see him again," Cindy told her.

"We're going to have to get a divorce," Erin replied after she had calmed down enough to speak calmly. "I can't stay with a husband who cheats on me, and he obviously doesn't want me either. I just hope the children will understand. And I hope I don't lose them. They're all I'll have left!" With those words, she began to sob again.

"That's not true," Cindy said, "You have your entire family. That's a lot of Waltons who love and support you."

"I suppose that's right. Thanks for everything, Cindy, but I should really go home and confront him when he gets there."

"Just be brave," Cindy advised. "You can handle him."

"I hope so…"

At home, Erin sent the kids to bed. Susan especially seemed to know that something was amidst, but Erin told her that they would talk about it in the morning. Even children as bright as Susan and Peter wouldn't understand what was going on, and she knew she had to talk to Paul first.

"What's going on?" she demanded as soon as he walked into the door late that night.

"What do you mean?" Paul replied.

"You know perfectly well what I mean, Paul Matthews Northridge. I saw you with her."

All of the color in his face drained when he heard his wife's statement. "Who?"

"I don't know who. But she was young and blonde, and you had your arm around her. I don't know what you trying to do. HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN ABOUT OUR CHILDREN? You're tearing our family apart!"

"Erin, calm down. You're overreacting."

"I am NOT overreacting. You're cheating on me, and I'm not going to put up with it."

Paul sighed. "Alright, Erin, I'm not going to pretend nothing has happened anymore. Her name is Carol, and yes, I have been seeing her behind your back. We've been married for so long, Erin. I just wanted something different."

"That's not what marriage is about, Paul," Erin replied, her voice still raised. "It's about being together forever and loving unconditionally. If you can't honor that, then I see no reason for us to be together anymore."

"So… you want a divorce?"

Cindy's words echoed in her head. _Be brave._ When she answered, her voice was weak, but steady. "Yes."

"I was thinking you would never say that, Erin. We can work on getting it finalized in the morning."

The smile on his face was big, almost too big. "There's one more thing, Paul." She had just thought of it now. "I get to keep Susan and Peter."

His face displayed a mix of surprise and horror. "Alright, Erin. We'll talk about it with the lawyers. But there's no way you're getting full custody. I'll get to see them too."

Even after all he had put them though, Erin knew his request was still fair. "Fine, Paul."

"Alright then. Tomorrow we can each see a lawyer and I'll go back to my father's house for the time being."

Erin sighed. Surprisingly, the easy part was over. The hard part would be telling the children.

**I hope you like it! Reviews would be appreciated!**


	5. Chapter 5- Erin

Peter's face looked confused, but Susan, who seemed to know exactly what was going on, began to cry. Erin and Paul had just told them about the impending divorce.

"Were we bad, Mommy?" Susan asked, sobbing. Erin's face stung as if she'd been slapped. _She thinks it's her fault._

"Oh, honey, of course not!" Erin exclaimed, jumping up to give her daughter a hug. Paul, who had remained silent and let Erin do the talking, now spoke up. "Your mama and I love you both, but we don't love each other anymore. It has nothing to do with you, I promise." He gave both Susan and Peter a brief hug before walking out the door. "It shouldn't take long for the divorce to be finalized, Erin," he said in a brisk tone. "Call me when you know the final custody arrangements."

Erin watched as her soon-to-be ex-husband left her house for the last time. What really hurt her, though, were the tears running down the cheeks of Susan and Peter alike. "Where's Daddy going?" Peter asked in a small voice.

"Erin sighed. If only Paul knew how much he was breaking his children's hearts. "I don't know, Peter. I really don't know."

As the next few weeks passed, Susan, Peter, and Erin began to accept that they would be living their normal lives without Paul. Custody of the children was given to Erin for all days, except for every other weekend and holiday, which were given to Paul. The hurt began to go away, until one Saturday, when the kids were with Paul, and she was visiting Mary Ellen.

"You look awful," Mary Ellen stated.

"I've just been really stressed, and I think the stress is making me sick. I haven't been feeling very well lately." Erin replied.

"Let me examine you," Mary Ellen commanded. "Maybe I can give you something to help your stress."

Mary Ellen performed a typical doctor's examination over Erin. A few minutes into it, her face paled.

"Mary Ellen? Is something wrong?" Erin asked, worriedly. Maybe she really had a sickness of some sort.

"I don't really know how to tell you this, Erin, but…"

She didn't like the tone of her sister's voice. "But what, Mary Ellen?" Erin demanded.

"Erin, you're… you're pregnant again." The words were barely a whisper.

It only took a moment for that fact to register in Erin's brain. She felt tears in her eyes as she slowly sank to the floor. She and Paul had been separated for about two months, so she must have gotten pregnant just before then. _Another child of Paul's. And this one won't even know a life with its parents together._

A few short months later, Amanda Northridge came into the world. Paul wasn't thrilled that he had another child, but he did accept the fact and came to love her in his own way, like he did Susan and Peter. Erin cherished Amanda, and eventually realized that she was a blessing that came in the middle of the terrible divorce. Not long after that, Erin received a teaching job, and began making the necessary money to support her three children. It wasn't long before she grew used to being a single mother, but she was still lonely, especially when the kids were with Paul.

…**And that minor cliffhanger is one of the plot lines in the first Waltons reunion movie. If any of you were wondering about Erin's third child, there she is. I had this planned all along.**

**PLEASE review. I am considering not continuing this story if I don't get any reviews. The next chapter(s) will probably be about Mary Ellen or Jason.**


	6. Chapter 6- John-Boy

"Janet, come on!" John Walton Jr., more commonly known among family and friends from his childhood as John-Boy, exclaimed. "I love you. Will you please just consider marrying me?"

"I've considered it, John," Janet replied. "And my answer has to be no. You work way too much to ever be married."

"But Janet-"

Janet sighed and took his hands in hers. "I know you love me, John. And I love you too. But you're too career-minded to settle down and be married right now."

John-Boy realized that Janet had no idea how defeated he was feeling. He ducked his head so as not to be looking her in the eye as he spoke. "Then maybe we should stop seeing each other." He turned and walked back to his apartment, never looking back, because he was sure he must have just hurt the woman he loved. But if she didn't want their relationship to go anywhere, then what was the point? He would eventually get over her.

With every passing day, however, John-Boy's longing for Janet grew. He threw himself into his work more than ever before and tried to make himself forget the girl he loved. _Had once loved, _he reminded himself, trying to ignore the silent tears that he couldn't keep from falling.

Janet tried to call him many times, but he forced himself to hang up the phone every time he heard her voice. It wasn't long though, until she came into his office unannounced.

"Janet, what are you doing here? I told you we were done," John-Boy said, resisting the urge to run to her and wrap her in his arms.

"I know you probably don't want to see me," Janet began. "But I had to come just to tell you that I'm sorry. You were right. Even I could see that you were trying to cut back your work hours to spend more time with me. But I had myself talked into not marrying you because I was worried about having a husband that loved his job more than he loved me. So if you'll consider taking me back, then I'll consider marrying you."

John-Boy was stunned. She wanted to be with him again? And maybe she would marry him? The whole ordeal seemed too good to be true, especially since he had just been missing her so much.

"I really missed you, John."

The words interrupted his thoughts and made up his mind for him. He rushed over and threw his arms around her. "Janet, you won't believe how much I missed you!"

**I had a request to write a chapter about John-Boy. I know it's short, but not much really seems to happen to John-Boy between the end of the series and the reunion movies. The next chapter will hopefully be about Jason or Mary Ellen. Thank you for the nice reviews!**


	7. Chapter 7- Mary Ellen

Mary Ellen came home from her shift at the hospital late one night to find that Jonesy had already put Clay and Katie to bed. "Supper's in the kitchen for you," he said, kissing her forehead.

"Thanks, Jonesy," she said, sighing as she sat down to eat. "It's been such a long day, and I just can't stop thinking about John Curtis. 'Now that he's in college, I can't help but worry about him and miss him."

"Mary Ellen, honey, Johnnie will be fine," Jonesy said, reassuring her. "I'm sure he misses us as much as we miss him."

"You're right," Mary Ellen responded. "How was your day?"

Jonesy suddenly looked ten years older and more stressed than Mary Ellen had ever seen him. "Jonesy? What's wrong?"

Jonesy sighed. "Mary Ellen, I…I've been drafted to go to Vietnam."

Mary Ellen's eyes widened. This couldn't be happening to her again! "This can't be happening to me again!" She moaned. "Curt was drafted, he was assumed to be dead, and then several years later I found out he was alive and had left me. Now I'm finally happy again and my second husband is going to get taken away from me!" She burst into tears.

Jonesy pulled her into his arms. "Honey it's going to be alright," he said with a soothing voice. "I'll be back as soon as I can. You know I would never leave you."

Her husband's words calmed her for a while, but then another thought struck her. "But Jonesy, what if…what if you die?"

"Don't think about that," he responded, holding her more tightly. "Just hope for the best and pray for me. I'll be back before you know it."

"I love you, Jonesy."

"I love you more than anything else in this world, Mary Ellen."

It was those words that got Mary Ellen through the times ahead, as Arlington Wescott Jones the Third, her husband, reported for duty and soon left for Vietnam. It was those words that got her through the longing and hoping for the best. And it was those words that helped her to be strong for Clay and Katie, who could not fully comprehend why their father could not be at home with them.

**I know it's short but Mary Ellen does not have a lot happening to her other than Jonesy being gone at the start of the reunion movies. Sorry it's been so long since I've updated, but I've been busy with schoolwork. I hope you like it, and please review. Special thanks to MusicalNinja15, who has given me a review for every chapter! **


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